Portsmouth became the first city in the region to allow collective bargaining for public employees in 2023. Nearly three years later, city council voted unanimously Tuesday to implement rules to make those negotiations possible.
The new ordinance establishes a framework in the city code that creates a path for city employees — including police, firefighters and paramedics – to negotiate pay, benefits and employment conditions.
It also gives them chance to collaborate directly with decision makers and shape strategies, said Tiffany Stuart, EMS lieutenant and the president of IAFF Local 539, which is Portsmouth’s Professional Firefighters and Paramedic Association.
“It will allow the people who deliver Portsmouth’s services to be a part of the conversation about how that gets done, instead of simply being told after the fact,” she said…